MCDONALD, Ohio (WKBN) – The McDonald boys basketball team used a strong second-half performance to defeat Valley Christian, 72-49 Wednesday night in the season opener at McDonald High School.
It was the first Trumbull county boys basketball game of the season after schools took a pause from athletics for the past month. But despite limited practice, the Blue Devils still looked sharp in their opener against a scrappy Valley Christian team.
Jimmy Franceschelli made his debut as head coach for the Blue Devils, after serving as an assistant under Jeff Rasile the last several years. He was a former head coach for the Struthers boys.
“It feels so good to be back out here with our guys, it’s been a long process to get back to this point,” said Franceschelli. “It’s just exciting to be back out here and it’s exciting for me to be back in this role as a head coach in such a great community with rich tradition. I just couldn’t be more thankful for everything that’s gone on in this last year.”
Jake Portolese led all scorers with 23 points, while Eli Street had 17 points and Greg Costantino 11 for McDonald.
“Oh this means a lot for what we’ve been through, everything we did taking that month off,” said Street. “This means a lot coming out here finally playing. It’s really emotional for seniors, we might not have had a season. So it means a lot to get this win.”
Joey Battista and Sekou Stanley each scored 11 points for Valley Christian.
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